John Bradshaw

John Bradshaw (1602-31 October 1659) was President of the Council of State of the English Commonwealth from 12 March 1649 to 29 December 1651, succeeding Oliver Cromwell and preceding Bulstrode Whitelocke.

Biography
John Bradshaw was born in Wybersley Hall, Cheshire, England in 1602, and he became a lawyer in 1627 and Mayor of Congleton in 1637. In 1643, he became judge of the London Sheriff's Court, and he became Chief Justice of Chester and North Wales in 1648 and, in 1649, president of the parliamentary commission to try King Charles I of England for high treason. After the King was found guilty and sentenced to death, Bradshaw did not allow him any final words. On 12 March 1649, he became President of State of the English Commonwealth, and, as he was an ardent republican, he vehemently opposed the establishment of the Protectorate in 1653. He died in 1659.